On Thursday 17th August, the Secretary of the Mexican Navy, Admiral Vidal Francisco Soberón Sanz, took part in a symbolic coin ceremony at Damen Schelde Naval Shipbuilding (DSNS) at Vlissingen in the Netherlands. He was accompanied by the Secretary of National Defense, General Salvador Cienfuegos. The Coin Ceremony is an event which takes place at the keel laying, in the early stages of a ship's construction. In it, the shipbuilders place one or two coins under the keelblock of the new ship to bless the ship and as a symbol of good fortune. On this occasion, the vessel is a Damen Sigma 10514 Long Range Patrol Vessel.

Thales to Provide Royal Canadian Navy with In-Service Support for AOPS and JSS

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The Government of Canada has awarded Thales In-Service Support (ISS), refit, repair, maintenance and training to both Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ships (AOPS) and Joint Support Ships (JSS). Known as AJISS, the contract includes an initial service period of eight years for up to $800 million CAD (approx. €540 million) with options to extend services up to 35 years, for a total value of $5.2 billion CAD1 (approx. €3.5 billion), making it the largest ISS contract in Canadian history.

QinetiQ has signed a £4.5m contract to lead phase four of the Maritime Autonomous Platform Exploitation (MAPLE) project for the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl). The MAPLE project, spearheaded by QinetiQ in partnership with BAE Systems, SeeByte and Thales, seeks to demonstrate and de-risk the integration of multiple unmanned systems into the combat system of a Royal Navy warship.

The latest Russian nuclear submarines of projects 955A (codename Borei-A) and 885M (codename Yasen-M) will be practically undetectable for hydro-acoustic stations which are the main means to expose a submarine. The advantage will be provided by the latest noiseless domestically produced leak-proof pumps. Previously all Soviet and Russian-made submarines were equipped with pumps produced by the Gidrotekhnika scientific and technical center in Moldavia, the Izvestia daily reported.

Japan's Acquisition Technology and Logistics Agency (ATLA) announced on August 9th the launch of a new surface vessel programme called 30DX for the JMSDF. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) was selected as prime contractor while Mitsui Engineering & Shipbuilding (Mitsui) was selected as subcontractor. ATLA is a branch of Japan's MoD created in 2015 to "ensure technological superiority and respond to operational needs smoothly and quickly".

Northrop Grumman Fire Scout instructors helped an elite detachment of Fire Scout Air Vehicle Operators (AVO) from the U.S. Navy’s Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 23 train and rehearse for a historic two-part demonstration. The AVOs trained for a real-time mission-set that handed off two autonomous, radar-equipped MQ-8B Fire Scout helicopters between multiple ground stations, a program first. The exercise also provided critical, real-time targeting information to a manned MH-60S Seahawk helicopter during a weeklong exercise off the coast of southern California.

DARPA’s Towed Airborne Lift of Naval Systems (TALONS) research effort recently demonstrated its prototype of a low-cost, elevated sensor mast aboard a commissioned U.S. Navy vessel for the first time. The crew of USS Zephyr, a 174-foot (53-meter) Cyclone-class patrol coastal ship, evaluated the technology demonstration system over three days near Naval Station Mayport, Florida.

Raytheon Co. and the U.S. Navy have delivered the 4,000th Tomahawk™ Block IV cruise missile to the fleet. The highly advanced missile can circle for hours, shift course instantly on command and strike with pinpoint accuracy. Launched from ships or submarines, the Tomahawk missile can fly into heavily defended airspace 1,000 miles away to conduct precise strikes on high-value targets with minimal collateral damage.

The French Navy Signals Intelligence (SIGINT) vessel Dupuy de Lôme (A 759) was spotted last week in Yokosuka naval base, HQ of the JMSDF Self Defense Fleet and of the US Navy's 7th fleet. Based on pictures from a different spotter, the vessel was still in Yokosuka on August 12th.

Sailors aboard USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) got underway for Sea Trials as the ship's planned incremental availability (PIA) nears its end, August 11. John C. Stennis entered PIA in February with the largest work package ever planned for a six-month availability for a Nimitz-class carrier, requiring more than 2,800,000 man-hours of work between ship's Sailors, Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility, and contractors. Through teamwork, dedication and expert management, the ship was able to get underway ahead of their originally planned departure date.

The Project 677 Lada-class lead diesel-electric submarine (SSK) B-585 Saint Petersburg has passed all the main types of tests and substantiated its design characteristics. Thus, favorable conditions have been created for the domestic industry to receive additional orders from Russia’s Ministry of Defense for ships of this type and conclude contracts for the export version, Amur 1650, under military-technical cooperation, the Zvezda TV channel reported.

August 3, 2017 marked the 10-year anniversary of the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye’s first flight. The aircraft known as Delta One, took off from the St. Augustine, Florida, airfield piloted by Northrop Grumman Flight Test Pilot Tom Boutin and then-U.S. Navy Flight Test Pilot Lt. Drew Ballinger along with Northrop Grumman Flight Test Lead Weapon Systems Operator Zyad Hajo. Wheels-up was shortly before 11 a.m., and the flight lasted an hour and twenty minutes.

New Contract for Workboat Fleet will support Royal Navy Aircraft Carriers and UK jobs

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With the Royal Navy growing and Britain’s flagship carrier now set to enter her new home, Defence Minister Harriett Baldwin has announced a £48 million contract for next-generation workboats which will support both British ships and British jobs. The fleet of up to 38 workboats will assist Royal Navy ships from UK bases and on operations all over the world.

According to a Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) release, the U.S. State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Government of Thailand for RGM-84L Harpoon Block II Surface Launched Missiles.

The construction of the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) second aircraft carrier (the first built indigenously in China) is progressing at a good pace and is now ahead of schedule according to the program director. The information was revealed in an interview conducted by Chinese national television CCTV.

BAE Systems today announced that it has submitted its bid to the Australian Government for the nation’s SEA 5000 Future Frigate program. The bid is to partner with the Government to develop a long-term ship building strategy in Australia for complex warships and to offer a proposal to build nine Anti-Submarine Warfare Frigates for the Royal Australian Navy.

HMS Queen Elizabeth met up with US Navy carrier group off Scottish coast

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Ahead of her first entry to Portsmouth, HMS Queen Elizabeth has met up with the USS George HW Bush and her carrier strike group off the coast of Scotland. The Nimitz-class US carrier has more than 60 Royal Navy sailors and Royal Marines on board, who have been working with their US counterparts to hone carrier strike skills ahead of HMS Queen Elizabeth's entry into service.